Things To Do In Iceland

5 Things To Do In Iceland Fit For Any Outdoorsman

You've probably heard all about Iceland lately. Icelandair's stopover service, WOW airlines, the blue lagoon, the northern lights. The combination of accessibility and incredible natural resources creates an interest so many other countries' tourism boards only dream of.

The best part about visiting Iceland, though, might surprise you.

While Icelandair already offers transatlantic passengers the option to make a stopover in Iceland for up to seven days at no additional charge, the airline has upped their game exponentially by now offering a free travel buddy. Kind of like hiring groomsmen for your wedding but not nearly as desperate.

From Feb. 2 through April 30, passengers can order a "Stopover Buddy" — an Icelandair employee who will take you, free of charge, on various Icelandic adventures. They're basically native tour guides, and with today's obsession with authentic travel experiences (72% of UK holiday-goers feel self conscious due to “looking like a tourist” in foreign countries), they're just what the doctor ordered.

Trek Inside A 5,000 Year Old Lava Cave

Icelandair

Raufarholshellir is about an hour outside Reykjavik and one of the better known lava caves in the country (still, you'll be hard pressed to find anyone else there). Formed by active lava flow thickening and forming a roof above a continuously-flowing lava stream below or when lava moves under the surface, expelled by a volcano during an eruption, when the lava flow stops and the rock cools it leaves a long, cave-like channel. This one's estimated to be 1,360 metres long and 5,000 years old, and takes about five hours to walk through from start to finish.

Lava falls and other brilliant lava formations can be seen deep in those tunnels. And no, your guide most likely will not be wearing her work uniform.

Sneak Behind A Secret Waterfall

Gretar Ivarsson

While everyone knows about Seljalandsfoss – it's the best known waterfall in Iceland – most people easily miss out on it's next-door neighbour, Gljúfrabúi. Partially hidden behind a large cliff, you can actually wade into the stream that flows out between the cliffs and into the heart of the waterfall. Warning: You WILL get wet. And it will be worth it. Especially when you think of all the tourists marvelling at Seljalandsfoss, all but clueless about what's right nextdoor.

Overlook þingvellir National Park

Anglicised as "Thingvellir", þingvellir National Park, is the most touristy sight on our list, but it's included for a reason: it's incredible. It's here where you can actually see the Eurasian & North American tectonic plates moving apart. Okay, you can't see them moving while you're standing there, but that's what's happening very very slowly. The continental drift between the two plates can be clearly seen in the cracks or faults which traverse the region; it also causes regular earthquakes in the area.

Icelanders have a joke that the country is getting bigger and bigger, soon to take over the continent – and it's because of the pulling apart of these plates resulting in the expansion of land.

Take A Dip In The Oldest Lagoon

Gretar Ivarsson

Even if you've never wanted to visit Iceland or haven't ever typed the words 'Iceland blue lagoon' into Google, social media will have made sure you're aware of it. But while the most popular tourist attraction in the country (garnering around 360,000 visitors per year – 20% more than Iceland's entire population) is the only lagoon that has that milky blue water it's famous for, there are plenty more geothermal pools.

We dare you to skip it and instead visit Gamla Laugin in Fludir (translated as Old Lagoon because it's the oldest pool in Iceland). It's entirely au naturel as opposed to the Blue Lagoon, which was actually a man-made accident from when the neighboring geothermal power plant was built.

Eat Your Heart Out

Elysha Krupp

Icelanders don't actually eat much whale - in fact the majority of Icelandic whalers' catch is exported. While you can find whale in restaurants, it's not as common as we thought. Instead, if you're looking for some stomach-based adventure, try sheep's head, called svið.

You can find it frozen in pretty much any supermarket, and the whole head is eaten, with the exception of the brain. Including the eyes, which some people think the eyes are the best part.

For centuries, Icelanders had to smoke, pickle or dry their food in order to preserve it through the harsh winters so as a result, traditional Icelandic food mainly consists of seafood (harðfiskur or dried fish) and lamb that's gone through some preservation method. Bon appetit!

The one of a kind Stopover Buddy service will be available for Icelandair transatlantic passengers from 2nd February to April 30th 2016. To find out more visit Icelandair.co.uk/stopover-buddy.